We are taking a summer break from December 21 to January. You can still place orders now and while we are on break. If we we receive but don't finish testing your samples before Christmas they will be at the top of our list when we re-open in January. Samples that arrive during the break will be stored carefully for testing in January.

Thanks for all the testing you've sent us this year, and have a wonderful summer!

E locus melanistic mask

Summary

Boxers, pugs and some other breeds have typical look that includes a black face with a lighter body or brindling. This is usually called a mask, or a melanistic mask. Masks can be just around the lips, as you might like see in a Rhodesian ridgeback. Larger masks can go all the way past the eyes.

Masks can be seen on mixed breed dogs as well as purebreds.

Masks can also come in more colours that just plain black! If a dog has two copies of a dilute gene their mask will be dilute. The same applies to brown genes: if a dog has two copies of a brown gene their mask will be brown instead of black.

Owners and breeders can test for the mask allele to find out whether their dog has one or two copies of this gene. There might also be cases where white markings can hide a mask.

Order the E locus panel to get a more complete understanding which E locus genotypes are present.

Gene or region and technical reference

Gene: MC1R (causative). Reference: Schmutz et al. (2003)

Reported alleles

n. Test developed using artificial DNA and animal controls.

Em. Test developed using artificial DNA and animal cases.

Panels: groups of tests that are often ordered together

This test is in the E locus panel.

Order tests

There is a one-off sample processing fee of $40 per animal plus the cost of your tests.

How many animals are you testing? Discount or society code:


Panels


Colour panels

$24 B locus ... more

$35 Coat type ... more

$16 D locus ... more

$16 E locus ... more


Panels by breed

$80 CKCS health mini-panel ... more


Working dogs

$59 Australian Kelpie panel ... more

$26 Working dog CA ... more

$54 Working dog core panel ... more


Good looks


Coat characteristics

$9 Coat length L (common form) (L) ... more

$9 Coat length L2 (L2) ... more

$9 Curly coat ... more

$9 Curly coat type 2 ... more

$9 Improper coat ... more

$14 Shedding ... more


Coat colour

$9 B locus brown (bc allele) (bc) ... more

$9 B locus brown (bd allele) (bd) ... more

$9 B locus brown (bs allele) (bs) ... more

$9 D locus dilute d (common type) (d) ... more

$9 D locus dilute d2 (Chow Chow type) (d2) ... more

$9 E locus melanistic mask

$9 E locus red/black ... more

$9 I locus intensity dilution ... more

$9 K locus dominant black ... more


Good health


Australian Kelpies

$14 Intestinal lipid malabsorption (ILM) ... more


Good health


Multiple breeds

$14 Airways oedema ... more

$14 Congenital multifocal retinopathy 1 (Mastiff type) (CMR1) ... more

$14 Degenerative myelopathy (DM) ... more

$14 Hyperuricosuria (HUU) ... more

$14 Ivermectin and multidrug sensitivity ... more

$14 Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) ... more

$14 Progressive retinal atrophy - PRCD (PRA-PRCD) ... more

$14 Progressive retinal atrophy CORD1 (PRA-cord1) ... more


Pure- and part-bred CKCS

$14 Congenital macrothrombocytopenia (CKCS type) (CM) ... more

$14 Curly coat/dry eye syndrome (CKCS) (CKCSID) ... more

$14 Episodic falling syndrome (CKCS) (EF) ... more

$14 Medium-chain acyl co-A dehydrogenase deficiency (CKCS) (MCADD) ... more

$14 Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) ... more


Pure- and part-bred Labradors

$14 Labrador centronuclear myopathy (CNM) ... more

$14 Labrador exercise induced collapse (EIC) ... more

$14 Labrador hereditary nasal parakeratosis (HNPK) ... more


Pure- and part-bred NSDTR

$14 Cleft lip/palate and syndactyly (CLPS) ... more

$14 Cleft palate (CP1) ... more


Pure- and part-bred bulldog breeds

$26 Cystinuria (Bulldog risk markers) ... more

$14 Screw tail ... more


Working dogs

$14 Cerebellar abiotrophy marker (LINGO3) (CA LINGO3) ... more

$14 Cerebellar abiotrophy marker (VMP1) (CA VMP1) ... more

$14 Collie eye anomaly (CEA) ... more

$14 Trapped neutrophil syndrome (TNS) ... more

Tests can be in the list more than once when the gene in question has more than one effect. It is OK to select the same test once or more than once, the price is the same.